This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
West Ham have been linked with QPR’s Ryan Manning in recent days and there is good reason to believe that he could be a viable long-term option for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
The left-back position has often been an area of uncertainty at the London Stadium as Arthur Masuaku has sought to take the first-choice slot away from Aaron Cresswell.
Although he wasn’t involved on the opening day, Masuaku started the season as first-choice before his suspension allowed the former Ipswich man to come into the side, and he showed his manager what he was missing out on with two goals in two matches upon his return.
He kept his place for the visit of Crystal Palace and maintained his form, and there are similarities to be made between his attributes and that of Manning, who has impressed in the Championship.
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The 23-year-old has been given a new lease of life at QPR since Mark Warburton came in, and has been a regular despite being deemed surplus to requirements under Steve McClaren last year, joining Rotherham on loan.
He has been efficient in all aspects of his play, but has particularly improved defensively compared to when he broke through, and if he can continue to make improvements then he could make the step-up to the Premier League.
If he was to join the Hammers, it would be a move not too dissimilar to the one Cresswell made, having arrived in east London at the age of 24 after also impressing in the Championship.
As shown in his stats from WhoScored, Manning is quite a similar player to Cresswell. He likes to get up and down the wing and contribute to his team going forward, as his three assists indicate, but he also has the awareness to snuff out danger.
One of the goals he assisted came from a free-kick, too, so he shares that trait with the West Ham man, but until he improves his pass accuracy he may struggle to convince Pellegrini that he is a suitable signing.
The Chilean has looked to implement a passing style at the London Stadium, as evidenced through the Hammers’ well-worked goal against the Eagles, and Manning has struggled with his accuracy despite Warburton operating in a similar fashion, with an average of 54% possession this term.
However, he is still young and has improved in a number of areas in his short career, including passing, interceptions and tackling, and learning from the coaching staff at West Ham and from the likes of Cresswell could allow him to establish himself in the Premier League.
By comparison, Cresswell managed only 67% pass accuracy the year before he made the switch, as well as 1.2 tackles per game – below that of the QPR left-back.
He has therefore made drastic improvements, as highlighted in his season stats on WhoScored, so it is possible that Manning could too, and therefore he would be a sensible addition.
